2012 is the year I vowed to get back into gaming. It’s been a large part of my life since the early 1980’s but due to children, work and Killer Reviews it had taken a back seat. To put it more directly, it had taken a back seat in someone else’s car. Now, two weeks into the New Year and I’ve already logged 40 plus hours of gaming goodness. What am I playing you ask? Everything from Skyrim to Dungeon Master, and I’m loving every minute.

And now I give you the second installment of “My Favorite Video Games of All Time.” Please keep in mind that there is no rhyme or reason to this list. It's only meant to spotlight a few of my favorites.

Enjoy the article! Comments are appreciated.

Dungeon Master
Release Date: 1987 | Wiki Page
Recommended Platform: SNES/Emulator



Back in the summer of 1989 I spent countless hours parked in front of my friend's Amiga computer eating Cool Ranch Doritos while roaming through the endless grey corridors of Dungeon Master. The game works as well as it does due to its dedication to the hardcore gamer. You’ll be managing everything from your characters food intake to the amount of coins in your purse. There are lots of cool monsters to fight, lute around every corner and a ton of interesting puzzles to solve. On the downside, there is no map system, which is insane due to the sheer size of the game, but it’s also a sign of the times. (Graph paper anyone?) I’ve played my share of dungeon crawlers over the years and Dungeon Master is still one of the best.

Gun.Smoke
Release Date: 1985 | Wiki Page
Recommended Platform: NES/Arcade/Emulator



Now here’s a challenging game. I first played Gun.Smoke on the Nintendo Entertainment System and instantly fell in love. The game consists of ten or so levels that are all uniquely different. You’ll fight through countless baddies, dodge more bullets than Arnold Schwarzenegger in COMMANDO and eventually fight a boss who will most likely kill you. The difficulty of the NES version is tolerable in my opinion, but the arcade version is just brutal. I’m a Gun.Smoke vet and I’ve never gotten past the fourth stage. I think it’s this difficulty that keeps me coming back year after year. The bosses are also memorable and the music is just brilliant. Man, could Capcom make great games back in the day.

Star Wars
Release Date: 1983 | Wiki Page
Recommended Platform: Arcade/Emulator



I first played Star Wars at a local Chucky Cheese back in the mid 1980’s. I remember being truly impressed by how the game captured the feeling of being in the movie. You had the special two-handed controller, dialogue samples from the movie, overly loud sound effects, the Star Wars theme by legendary composer John Williams and of course, the cockpit arcade cabinet. But the best part of the Star Wars arcade experience for me was the beautiful vector graphics. My thought is… If I’m flying an X WING Fighter in the distant future, when technology has come and gone, this is what I would think the computer screens to look like. In this mind set the game never seems dated. All these elements work together bringing the end user an authentic Star Wars experience.

Metroid Prime
Release Date: 2002 | Wiki Page
Recommended Platform: Nintendo Gamecube



If you were a Metroid fan prior to the release of Metroid Prime then you were wondering one thing… How can this series possibly work in a first person 3D environment? You and me both! To my amazement (and many others), the leap to 3D could not have been anymore successful. The game went on to sell millions of copies and receive mass critical acclaim. Metroid Prime is smart, epic and extremely polished. You’ll find yourself lost for hours in amazing environments searching for that next power-up that will allow you to advance to the next region, or backtrack to a previous region that can now be expanded. I can remember pulling all-nighters because I couldn’t put the controller down. I also like the game's difficulty... challenging enough to keep my interest, but never frustrating. Great boss battles too. In the spring of 2005 I played this game all the way through in one sitting and it’s a gaming memory that will stick with me forever. Metroid Prime is a masterpiece IMO.


Alice: Madness Returns
Release Date: 2011 | Wiki Page
Recommended Platform: PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360



Alice: Madness Returns is a recent game that didn’t garner much critical praise. Although I don’t feel the game is exceptional, I do find it to be very competent and enjoyable to play. A great mix of platforming and combat, there are several cool weapons at your disposal like the pepper grinder, vorpal blade, hobby horse and ticking time bomb. There are a ton of hidden areas that lead to collectables and power-ups, so exploration is essential. And if you’re a fan of Disney’s ALICE IN WONDERLAND (1951) film, like me, then you’ll be salivating over the art design. It’s as beautiful as it is creepy. As is the music. The soundtrack to Alice: Madness Returns is worth owning IMO. The game runs a little long, but there are a handful of different mini-games like puzzles and side scrolling sequences to break up the core game play. Bottom line is… When you combine Alice in Wonderland with horror, you had me at "hello."